Families of several young men arrested in connection with the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, have appealed to security agencies to release their children, insisting they were not involved in the crime.
The relatives alleged that the suspects were apprehended during a police raid at a local food joint in Otukpo, far from Okwudu community in Ohimini Local Government Area, where the MACBAN chairman was killed.
One of the mothers, who spoke through activist Meddy Olotu, said her 21-year-old son, Huseni, had gone to the eatery after returning from farm work when police officers stormed the area and arrested everyone present.
She maintained that her son was a farm labourer with no connection to the killing.
“My son returned from work and went to eat before the police arrived and arrested everyone there.
He is only a farm labourer and has never been involved in any criminal activity,” she said, appealing to the Federal Government to intervene and secure his release.
Huseni’s father, Mr. Huseni Adama, also insisted that his son was innocent, alleging that he and another young man were arrested while eating near the Total Filling Station in Otukpo after work.
He said the family had been devastated by the arrest, describing his son as hardworking and law-abiding.
Another parent, whose son, Adakole John, is among those in custody, also denied that her son had any involvement in the murder.
According to her, Adakole was arrested at the same food outlet in Otukpo and had never travelled to Okwudu, where the incident occurred.
Adakole’s father, who identified himself as a security guard at St. Jude, appealed to the authorities to release his son, saying he had not been allowed to communicate with the family since his arrest.
The relatives of another suspect, identified as 18-year-old Owiocho, said he worked as a photographer and was also arrested during the police operation despite having no link to the killing.
The families urged security agencies to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation, stressing that only those directly connected to the murder of the MACBAN chairman should be prosecuted.
They further appealed for the release of anyone found not to have played any role in the incident, arguing that innocent persons should not continue to be detained for an offence they did not commit.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had yet to announce the outcome of its investigation or arraign the suspects before a competent court.